Important animal terms glossary

A dedicated building or section of a pig production facility specifically designed to house sows during parturition and lactation, equipped with appropriate climate control, sanitation systems, and farrowing pens or crates.

A metal cage used to confine a single sow during farrowing (period around parturition) and lactation. The crate is designed to obstruct transition between lying and standing to avoid the risk of the sow crushing her piglets. It severely restricts the movement of the sow which is unable to turn around or engage properly with her piglets.

An individual pen within the farrowing barn in which a sow gives birth and nurses her piglets; it may be a free-farrowing pen (allowing the sow full freedom of movement) or contain a farrowing crate that restricts lateral movement to reduce piglet crushing (overlying).

Sow between parturition (giving birth) and weaning the piglets.

Storage material in living organisms found mainly as oils in plants and solid forms (adipose tissue) in animals. Most animals deposit fat in their bodies as an energy store. Also used to denote livestock reared for their meat (fatstock).

Rearing of livestock for meat production.

A general term for pig reared for meat production between grower and slaughter.

The various foods available for farm livestock.

An ingredient or combination of ingredients added, usually in very small quantities, to the basic livestock feed to fulfil a specific need. May also refer to substances that are added to livestock feed  or water to change the properties of the manure e. g. to reduce ammonia or odour emission.

A quantitative measure of livestock production efficiency, calculated as the mass of feed consumed divided by the mass of desired output (body weight gain, milk, or eggs), where a lower value indicates superior feed efficiency.